1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the safety of riders in highway vehicles that use airbags to protect the riders from impact with the interiors of the occupant enclosures of the vehicles. More particularly, the present invention relates to structures associated with the cover for the compartment in which an airbag is stored prior to the deployment of the airbag into the occupant enclosure.
2. Background
Inflatable safety restraint airbags are now legally mandated in most new highway vehicles. Airbags are typically included at least in the steering wheel and in the dashboard on the passenger side of highway vehicles. Additional airbags are installed to inflate beside a vehicle occupant and provide side impact protection, to inflate in front of the legs and protect the knees from forward impact, and to inflate at other strategic locations within the occupant enclosure.
Each airbag is stowed in a deflated condition pending the development of circumstances in which the airbag needs to be deployed. For airbags in the steering wheel or in the dashboard, the deflated airbag resides in an airbag storage compartment that communicates with the occupant enclosure. A cover interposed between the airbag storage compartment and the occupant enclosure deters tampering and serves as a visually attractive interior façade.
In the event of an accident, a sensor system within the vehicle detects an impact situation and triggers the ignition of an inflator. Inflation gas from the inflator immediately enters the airbag. As the airbag inflates, the airbag forces the cover of the airbag compartment aside, and the airbag enters the occupant enclosure, deploying as a protective cushion between riders and interior surfaces of the occupant enclosure.
It has become the practice of some vehicle manufacturers to include a decorative emblem, such as a company logo, on the face of the pliable cover for an airbag storage compartment that is directed toward the occupant enclosure. The emblem may be printed on the cover, embossed into the material of the cover, or assembled onto the cover using hard plastic elements or other suitable materials that are distinct from the cover.
When an emblem is assembled onto the cover of an airbag storage compartment, corresponding additional passenger safety concerns are created. Vehicle safety standards require that the emblem, as well as any components by which the emblem is secured to the cover, be reliably prevented from being detached from the cover during airbag deployment. The rapidity of airbag inflation imposes substantial forces on the cover of an airbag storage compartment. Under the influence of these forces, during airbag deployment components assembled onto the cover can break apart and become potentially injurious projectiles within the passenger enclosure.